The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it may be described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology.
An aerocar vehicle, or roadable aircraft, may be defined as a vehicle that can be driven on roads in what may be referred to as a roadable mode, as well as takeoff, fly, and land as an aircraft in what may be referred to as a flight mode. Vehicles that demonstrate such capabilities are desirous because they can provide users with the freedom, comfort, and the ability to arrive quickly to a destination, all while the travel still remains private and personal. Such vehicles may require various tradeoffs to facilitate operations in both the roadable mode and the flight mode.
Numerous configurations of landing gear for aircrafts are known, and may largely be based on the arrangements commonly known as: tail wheel landing gear, tandem landing gear, and tricycle-type landing gear. In addition to supporting an aircraft during taxi on a runway, landing gears and their related structures may also control forces of impact on an aircraft during landing. An automobile suspension system may be designed to withstand forces of up to about two “G”s, for example, as it smooths out any bumps, potholes, or other minor irregularities in a road. Aircrafts, however, can be subjected to intense landings, and various sources suggest that their suspension systems should capable of tolerating at least double the amount forces, thus handling forces up to about four “G”s, or even higher.
Generally, aircraft landings transfer shock energy from landing gears of a suspension system throughout an airframe of an aircraft. The aircraft landing gears may also be used for absorbing (or converting) shock energy into heat energy.
Typical axles, wheel assemblies, and suspension systems for road vehicles generally do not need to capable of withstanding the same level of shock energy experienced by aircraft landing gear. However, it would be desirable to provide an improved suspension system for aerocars, such that they can be used for both ground (road) travel, and for flight landings.